Stephen

The “threat of regulatory overreach” in not allowing liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports “is tantamount to introducing price controls on natural gas,” ExxonMobil Chemical Co. President Stephen Pryor said last week, directly countering the campaign of another chemicals giant, Dow Chemical Co., which has been heavily lobbying to protect its domestic feedstocks.

The “threat of regulatory overreach” in not allowing liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports “is tantamount to introducing price controls on natural gas,” ExxonMobil Chemical Co. President Stephen Pryor said Tuesday, directly countering the campaign of another chemicals giant, Dow Chemical Co., which has been heavily lobbying to protect its domestic feedstocks.

NW Natural promoted CFO David Anderson to executive vice president for operations and regulation. Anderson was a senior vice president/CFO with TXU Gas prior to joining NW Natural as its CFO in 2004. Also, Stephen Feltz was promoted to senior vice president and CFO, and C. Alex Miller was promoted to treasurer.

The proliferation of rail-based crude oil transport in the Bakken Shale and elsewhere has not gone unnoticed by pipeliner Enbridge Inc. “It’s an agile…way of getting to market,” Enbridge’s Stephen John Wuori, president of the liquids pipeline business, said. However, “…rail movements can and will get turned off in a day if differentials collapse.”

At a summit in Washington, DC, Monday, President Obama, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and President Felipe Calderon of Mexico pledged to promote greater energy cooperation among the countries.

Geneva, Switzerland-based Koch Supply & Trading Sarl has launched a global gas trading business, and Stephen Cornish has joined the firm to build the trading and marketing business for liquefied natural gas (LNG), natural gas and related commodities. “This venture into the international gas markets is a way to link its global portfolio to benefit its suppliers and customers,” said Cornish, who said the unit would build operations in Asia, Europe and the Americas. To complement existing North American activities conducted in Houston and to optimize its global portfolio, Koch Supply & Trading plans to build a Europe-wide gas business from Geneva and an LNG trading business from offices in Geneva, London and Singapore. Origination and marketing support locations are also planned in East Asia, the Middle East and Latin America. The privately held company declined to provide additional details.

Occidental Petroleum Corp. (Oxy) CEO Stephen Chazen last Wednesday said the permitting process to drill in California has been streamlined, and he credited Democratic Gov. Jerry Brown for the turnaround.

While reporting a big increase in 4Q2011 and full-year profits, Occidental Petroleum Corp. (Oxy) CEO Stephen Chazen on Wednesday said the permitting process for drilling in California had been streamlined, and he credited Gov. Jerry Brown for the turnaround.

Stephen J.J. Letwin, who is responsible for Enbridge Inc.’s natural gas operations, said he will retire on Nov. 1. Letwin, who has been a member of Enbridge’s management team for 11 years, currently serves as executive vice president, Gas Transportation & International, for Enbridge Inc. and holds managing director roles at Enbridge Energy Co. Inc., the general partner of Enbridge Energy Partners (EEP), as well as Enbridge Energy Management LLC. Letwin joined Enbridge Inc. as president and COO of Energy Services in 1999. He was responsible for leading the relatively new retail energy services business unit to profitability. Letwin also is responsible for the company’s international business. As managing director of the general partner of EEP, Letwin played a key role in the growth of the company’s natural gas gathering and processing business in the United States.